Monday, August 8, 2011

Container Bound

 

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.
We had a little rain last evening and I wish I could have sent it to Texas to help those poor farmers and gardeners. They are forecasting  a cool down this week and we are all ready for that lowering of the humidity.

It is the time of the year when my garden beds are getting raggedy and plants full of holes and I am almost ashamed of the way it is looking so I will show some of the container plants today for a change.

Red_Mandevilla
Mandevilla Red Parasol

I have only a few containers this year and even they are getting in sad shape.

Argyranthemum_August Argyranthemum & Potato vine

Something has even started eating on the Bronze potato vines. Could that shiny green Japanese beetle be the culprit?

Argyranthemum
Pink Argyranthemum

Burgundy_CanCan 
Burgundy Can Can petunia

Even the petunias are wanting to give up on me in this heat.Copy (1) of IMG_0035

Petunia

Those who are familiar with my gardening know I grow several different pelargonium’s every year and over winter others. I love the old fashioned geraniums that remind me of my Grandmother’s.

Geranium2_AristoPetticoat
Aristo Petticoat pelargonium
 
They have just not grown well this year even with the tender care and fertilizers.Maybe I should toss the overwintered ones this year and start over.

 Rosebud_Geranium Red Rosebud pelargonium

MaverickStar

Peach Blossom pelargonium

Caladium
Caladium
Only one of the caladiums survived over wintering in the basement.

Verbena_Peach 
Peach Blossom verbena

Verbena grown from seed is always a hit or miss thing for me. This year only two made it to transplanting.

 CallaLily_PotatoVine_Ipomea
Calla Lily & Purple Heart Potato vine

Amarcrinum_howardii_Crinodonna Something new I am trying this summer is two Amarcriniums howardii Crinodonna in containers. We will see how this works out or not. LOL!
( I think I need to toss away that sad poinsettia.)

Helitrope_MarineBlue
Marine Blue helitrope 

Lantana_Plants Even the Lantana plants are slacking off now even with the dead heading. They are trying to hide the well pipe. LOL!

Newbed_RoseOSharon
In the corner bed by the porch containers of petunias and yellow lantana fill in in front of the Rose of Sharon bush.
Coneflowers, daises and achillea also grow here.

Chaste_Tree 
This is the second year for the Chaste trees that I started from seed. One was planted in a container and another in the garden as an experiment. I wanted to see if the one planted in the garden would stand up to our winters here in zone 5 but I was afraid to chance it with both so the one in the container over wintered in the basement. They both survived but no blooms as yet.

Impatiens_Peach 
Impatiens from the seed collected last year are in several containers around here because of the shade.

IMG_0045 

 TipsyPots_August
In back of the house at the old garden shed containers of dahlia’s and petunias in the mailbox are growing.
New Dawn climbing roses grow over the side of the shed onto the roof. This is where I have my test bed where I try out perennial seeds and then transplant them into other beds.
My ‘Friendship’ bed is also here where I grow flowers from wonderful giving blogging friends.
I will post about them on another day.

Aug2011

I may even get a ripe tomato before summer ends.Tomato_Green

Out back behind the house where the potting bench is are also containers and baskets filled with flowers hanging from tree limbs and setting around.

House_Back

I love using old grapevine and wicker baskets for containers.

Bench_2009

Baskets_Sparkle

These are some of the containers that are planted around the  garden.
Everyone have a wonderful day!

Happy Gardening,
Lona

23 comments:

Unknown said...

Wow wow wow! Your containers and all your plantings look fantastic, beautiful flowers. Love the flowers photos, beautiful captures. The little planted pots with the yellow watering can on top is my favorite, adorable.

greggo said...

a container extravaganza!

Debby said...

Beautiful gardens. How do you get seeds from impatients? They are the only lowers that I can grow.

Sunray Gardens said...

Your containers of flowers are lovely. One of mine looked so bad that just today I dumped the contents and put a fake fern in it for now. LOL Hey looks pretty good. The rest are doing ok, but none are in full sun except the few others out front that have either Hostas or Sedums. Hoping we get some more of this rain this week. Lucked out with a little yesterday finally.
Cher Sunray Gardens

Gatsbys Gardens said...

I'm thinking the same thing, that it is time to begin tossing. I think last year at this time I began looking for cabbages! My tomatoes were growing great and then that intense heat hit and killed all of the new blossoms. The tomatoes are small that I am harvesting.

My cladiums like yours looks good amd some petunias look better than others. I must take notes.

Eileen

Gardening in a Sandbox said...

You have oodles of great containers and lots of fun things to look at. I am in love with the burgundy can can petunia. Gorgeous colours in it. V

Giga said...

Świetnie wyglądają pojemniki z kwiatami, a szczególnie te, które wyglądają, jakby doniczka stała na boku następnej doniczki. U was kwiaty cierpią z upału, u nas z nadmiaru deszczu. Pozdrawiam

Balisha said...

Oooo la la...love that Burgundy Can Can petunia.

debsgarden said...

My August garden has a stale feel to it, but your pots are fresh as spring! I really like the last photo of the plants on the tree! I don't have many pots, because they take a lot of time, which I have already used up, but I would love to do this.

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

Dear Lona ~ Your container plantings are wonderful and I love seeing some of the hardscape, buildings, seating areas, etc. of your gardens. Very inspiring ~ FlowerLady

The Sage Butterfly said...

Your containers look fantastic. I like the creativity of them and their placement...very nice.

GRACE PETERSON said...

This is what I love: Your Mandevilla--ooh, la, la!! Your 'Burgundy Can Can' Petunia--to die for!! That petunia with the purple outside and white inside--mama mia!! That cool vintage chair with the pots and the Lantana--gotta have it! Your dazzling shed composition with the awesome "Free Weeds" sign--I need one of those! The entire area behind the house where the potting bench is--looks like it belongs in a magazine! And of course your two sweet baskets with flowers--inspirational. Great post, Lona!

Unknown said...

My beds are looking fine, but my containers are dying out and getting full of holes. :( I'm going to use some of your pictures here as an inspiration--maybe the garden centers have somethink like your red mandevilla that's on clearance AND can fill in some space for me...

Anonymous said...

I don't know why you think your containers aren't doing so well Lona ~ they look pretty darn good to me. I love your back area ~ I think I've told you that before??? So much to look at. I'm going to google right now to look up Chaste tree ~ I don't know what that is! I'm always impressed how much you start from seed. I am not nearly so good at that. Several of your petunias I've never seen before ~ I bet you started them from seed too??
I think it's still looks gorgeous Lona.
Enjoy your cooldown ~ we are still pretty hot but that's okay. I'm not ready for fall yet!

Landbohaven said...

Hvor har du en smuk have.
Mange skønne blomster.
Jeg kan godt li` farven på blomsten på billedet nr. 6.

Darla said...

That's a lot of watering those containters there.....they are all beautiful.

Wsprsweetly Of Cottages said...

Wow..your potted plants look wonerful. My poor geraniums looks all eaten up like some of your plants. Not snails, but I suspect slugs.
I am having the absolute worst time with ants. They are in all my potted plants and tonight I even saw them in my wicker furniture. This year is even worse than last year. Millions of them...We can hardly sit in a chair without them. climbing up our legs.
I love the basket nestling in the tree. I would love to have one like that.

Joe Todd said...

Beautiful gardens/flowers/photos.. Linda and I are waist hight in garden produce and keeping busy. I had a touch of food poisoning from a restaurant in Pickerington a couple weeks ago and it really wiped me out but am much better now.

Becca's Dirt said...

You have a lot of containers there Lona. And they all are so pretty. Wish I could tour your gardens. Maybe one day.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Lona girl did I read wrong ? did you say you cut down on containers ?
Holy COW !! You have gazillions of containers and plants going and they all look wonderful ! I wish mine would have been better this year .. my herbs didn't take off the way they should .. the dill was so embarrassing I had to dump it for compost .. I do have two butterfly caterpillars though .. one on the parsley and one on the fennel container .. I hope to see the whole process before I pop my garden clogs !!!
Joy ;-)

VW said...

My favorite photo is the pink Argyranthemum. That must have been named by a spelling-bee afficionado (I am not such a person, and perhaps I misspelled afficionado but am too lazy to check!). Anyway, very pretty.

lynn'sgarden said...

Gorgeous, GORGEOUS photos, Lona! I was very boring with my containers this year...a mass planting of a single variety in one pot! But it looks good when full and lush...til now. Everything is parched with the Aug. heat. Love your combo of yellow daisies and dark potato vine. And that header collage..WOW! ;)

Heather at Dusty Bay said...

Wonderful post my dear! Such a lovely tour around your gardens - the colours are amazing! Have a nice day and I hope you find time to smell the flowers!